VICA: Valley Lacking Members on City Commissions

The San Fernando Valley is underrepresented on Los Angeles city commissions, the Valley Industry & Commerce Association announced after conducting a review. The review found that while the San Fernando Valley makes up about 38 percent of the city’s population, it only has about 23 percent representation on citywide commissions. The organization identified eight commissions, out of 44 citywide, that do not have any Valley representation. Those commissions include the Board of Animal Services, the Board of Civil Service Commissioners, the Community Redevelopment Agency, the Employee Relations Board, the Board of Fire and Police Pension Commissioners, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, the Board of Recreation and Parks Commissioners and the Board of Zoo Commissioners. “The Valley population accounts for a significant portion of the city, and our number of citywide commissioners does not adequately represent our size,” said Stuart Waldman, president of VICA. The group’s chairman, Daymond, Rice said the city needs to take action. “City leaders must make sure the Valley’s voice is heard on the panels that make decisions directly impacting our community,” he said. Jessica Vernabe